Verstappen’s clean sweep in Singapore. Antonelli is getting ever closer to winning the World Championship

It is no longer a question of ‘if’, but of ‘when’. When Andrea Kimi Antonelli will become Formula 1 world champion. It could be in Austin in 15 days’ time, or in Mexico the following week. The verdict is now a foregone conclusion, and this curly-haired lad from Bologna could well treat motorsport to several years of fiercely contested battles with Max Verstappen in the future. The Dutchman has won yet again. What’s more, he dominated. Pole position in the sprint race, victory in the sprint race, pole position in the main race and victory in the main race. A Grand Slam (in Formula 1 one should say, in the French style, ‘Grand Chelem’, but the term wouldn’t be correct because Max didn’t set the fastest lap, and when the term was coined, sprint races didn’t exist) on a circuit where he had never before been the first to see the chequered flag. Max belongs in the same league as Senna and Schumacher. There can be no doubt about it.

In Singapore, Leclerc – a driver who is just a step below Max but who would like a fair fight sooner or later – got a taste of his ruthlessness at the very first corner. The ruthlessness of the champion, of the sheriff who enforces the law. ‘His’ law. Even Kimi, despite being a ‘rookie’, belongs to that mould. He is only twenty but already races with the maturity of a veteran. In the first part of the season he was outspoken, buoyed by a superior car and a hunger for success like no other. Now he is skilfully managing his lead. He is also fortunate, as the greats often are. But even when he is struggling – and in Singapore he struggled a great deal – he always manages to maximise his performance.

However, the topic of reflection that brings the season to a close in Asia and takes it back to the West is another matter entirely. It was triggered, unwittingly, by Lewis Hamilton. And it concerns: ‘Who has the final say?’. The Briton ruined his race when he failed to enter the pit lane to change tyres whilst the Virtual Safety Car was in effect. As usual, when it comes to Ferrari, not everything is clear. Or rather, it is clear that the pit wall called both Leclerc, who was in the lead, and Hamilton in for a pit stop. The Monegasque driver responded: ‘I’ll obey’ (quite rightly). The seven-time champion (wrongly), did not. Now, the circumstances are clear, but Hamilton’s explanation (who, after the race, suffered a providential bout of illness and thus avoided questions from the press) is not. On the team radio at the end of the race, with great honesty, Hamilton thanked the team and took full responsibility. In the statement released after the race, Hamilton (who had evidently recovered) said he had “failed to enter the pit lane”. To have “failed” means, until proven otherwise, that he tried but did not succeed. A rather bizarre claim, given that Leclerc was ahead of him and managed to do so. A more plausible explanation—though we are still in the realm of malicious speculation that no one will ever confirm—is that Hamilton saw Leclerc’s pit stop as an opportunity to overtake him. And that he did a quick calculation: “Now I’ll overtake him and hope that sooner or later another virtual or safety car comes out, so that I can then make my pit stop and still stay ahead of him”. Unfortunately for Hamilton, this scenario never materialized, and within seven laps Leclerc, on fresher tyres, overtook him. Antonelli, Norris and Piastri followed suit, leaving the seven-time champion languishing in sixth place in a race featuring six competitive cars.

Today’s topic asks whether the pit wall should always make the decision or if the driver should have the final say. Our conclusion is clear: the pit wall should take the lead. Engineers possess a broader perspective and a vast amount of data that drivers cannot even begin to imagine. Does this mean the driver is merely an executor? Not always; it depends on the situation. All the more so if, in the past – take the choice of slick tyres at Sepang, for example – your pit wall hasn’t always been, shall we say, flawless. But what’s coming out of Singapore gives a different impression. This time, Hamilton, in order to stay ahead of Leclerc, threw away an almost certain podium finish. It would be best if, away from the journalists—whom Vasseur considers the real problem behind the Scuderia’s failures—the newly reappointed Team Principal were to explain to his drivers the founding father’s (for those with short memories, Enzo Ferrari) guiding principle. Namely, that the Scuderia comes first. And only then—but only then—do one’s personal ambitions, however legitimate, come into play.